Looking Back on My Board Year

The end of the year is approaching. The clock is ticking for the 74th Board before they have to move out of the VSPVU-room and go on with their lives. The end of the year is also a time to reflect on the previous year.

It feels like yesterday when we started working on our policy plan and budget. The whole summer we met up twice a week to work out our visions and starting to get to know our functions. Sometimes I miss that puppy love I see in the 75^th Candidate Board where everything is still new and exciting.

Due to Corona the start of the year was different than usual and that asked a lot of flexibility from us. The whole introduction week was online, so sometimes we had to split ourselves in three to make it to all the online meetings we were supposed to be in. We had two really successful Meet the Committees events, one online and physical. Both of those were original in their own way and we got to know and reached a lot of people.

In September, we had one of the few physical events and one of my favorite: Borrel #1: Benidorm Bastards. Due to the regulations everybody had to sit down and what other way to make it an elderly theme to keep up with that regulation. We organized a bingo, because that is also what elderly people do. It was a blast and I still want to go back to that evening.

In October, we had an Emergency General Meeting to adjust the budget. This was a big learning point in my Board year, because this was the moment to really except the fact that Corona was not going to disappear in the year and that conclusion changed a lot in the adjusted budget. Corona really has taught me how to be flexible and creative with money.

In November, we had planned out the whole Active Member Day, but unfortunately the regulations stayed really strict. We decided to not just give up and organized the goodiebag day! The five of us cycled through Amsterdam to visit our lovely active members and hand them their specially made package. The people were really enthusiastic and it was nice to see them as well.

In December, it was really busy with exams and not with VSPVU activities. It did feel strange when we ended up in the Christmas Break and releasing that the first semester was already over. At that point, I still had the feeling that I did not know what I was doing and that after three months of being a Board member.

In January, we organized the Exam Quizzes. We thought it was nice to provide our members with some additional study material. A lot of people showed up, but some quizzes were better than others. Our wise lesson from this: the overall study guide of the VU doesn’t always display the correct information. Always check with your members what kind of exams they have! We did try to make the most out of it.

In February, we had the movie night. We had to come up with a new kind of online activities. Suddenly the movie night with a drinking game popped up! We watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with some members and it was amazing. I still can’t handle the words: golden ticket and chocolate. And all the songs the Oompa Loompa’s sing, aaaah. All in all, it was a really nice event and we can be very proud how successful it was.

In March, we had the Glühwalk. The Glühwalk was one of the first physical events we had in 2021. It was so nice to see people in real life again instead of Zoom. We followed the already existing route but started at Brasserie Blazer. There we had the best sangria I ever had and I still crave that fine refreshment. People also could do picture games on their way and spread the VSPVU name.

In April, we had the Career Days. Two weeks, four days filled with workshops. The main message of these workshops: don’t stress, you will find your spot in the world. It was nice to see all the different types of presentations and work fields. I really got inspired. It was a great success!

In May, we had our Active Member Weekend replacement in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, our original ideas could not go through, but we used our original Active Member Day plan. We played the Murder Game throughout Amsterdam. Our beloved Pieter was killed by one of the characters with a VSP-PLU! Luckily, a lot of our committees could catch the killer and made sure Pieter’s death had some justice.

It is too soon to reflect on June, because we are still in the middle of it. It is sad to see that our year has almost come to an end. I would have loved to continue for a longer time, but I do think it is time for the 75^th Candidate Board to spice of our lives again. Thank you for all the support and love this year. I’m glad that I’ve been your Treasurer for this year.

Lots of love,

Demi